Copyright
Crimson Thirst
Copyright © 2019 by Derek Shupert
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Cover art by Katzilla Designs
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Cover Copyright © 2019 by Derek Shupert
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictionally and are not to be constructed as real. Any resemblance to person, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Derek Shupert
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First Edition
Contents
Copyright
Dedication
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
Author Notes
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The Huntress Bane Series
Dead State Series
Afflicted Series
Ballistic Mech Series
Also by Derek Shupert
About the Author
Dedication
I wouldn’t be able to write without those who support me. I thank you for your encouragement and being there for me.
To those that read my books, I thank you for your support.
Crimson Thirst
Beta Readers – My deepest gratitude for your help !
Patti Holycross
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ONE
Fuck.
That was the first word that popped into my head after hearing Preston’s unsettling words. The vampires breached Black Field’s outer wall, somehow, and gained access to the city.
I stand frozen by the open door with the klaxon alarm blaring in my ears. It’s loud screeching does little to stay the unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach. I rush over to Preston, Black Fields’ top scientist and vampire expert, and lean in close to him. I parrot back what he said to make sure I heard him correctly.
“Did you say that the vampires are inside the city? Is that what you’re telling me?”
Preston nods. His face goes pale, and his gaze widens as the life drains from his body. He lowers down onto the stool behind him and stares off into space.
I snap my fingers in front of his face, then wave my hand to bring him out of his trance. “Hey, come on. I need for you to focus here. Where have the vampires entered at exactly?”
Preston shakes his head and cuts his gaze over to me. “There’s been confirmed sightings over by the sewage system.”
“Do we know how many?”
He shrugs. “It didn’t say. The message said for us to stay where we are. Not that it matters much here since the building is already locked down. The guards have been dispatched to intercept the creatures.”
Black Fields guards. My faith in the armed guardians of the city is less than null. They may hold their own against any raiders or other nomads just fine, but the bloodsucking vermin are a totally different story. They’re stronger, faster, and don’t drop to the ground after putting a slug in their chest. It’s never that easy.
Frustrated, I slam my fist down hard onto the top of his desk. Preston jumps off the seat. I point out toward the hall, and in the direction of the council members’ chambers a few doors down from here. “I told Quinn the demons were up to something. He should’ve acted immediately when I warned him that the vamps were planning something. Fucking asshole. Any blood spilt is going to be on that old codgers’ hands. That’s for damn sure.”
I push away from his desk and turn around. I place my hands on the back of my head, and take in a big gulp of air. I release the tension and disdain for the council’s decision through pursed lips. I bet they’re wishing now they would’ve acted right then and there instead of waiting.
It’s a mighty hard lesson to learn that is going to cost lives. Not theirs, obviously. Coalition Tower is one of the most secured structures in the city. There’s a shit ton of stone and concrete the creatures have to navigate before ever thinking about trying to gain access to this facility.
The sound of boots hammering the floor in the hall catches my attention. Three guards, with rifles and UV lamps attached underneath the barrels, blow past the open door in a mad dash toward the elevator and stairs.
Forget this. I’m not standing idly by as the innocent people on the streets are slaughtered by the vile demons. I must do something. I have to help in any way that I can.
I make for the open door.
Preston steps away from his desk and reaches out his hand as if to stop me from leaving.
“Where are you going, Amanda? The tower has been locked down. We are to stay inside, and wait for further instruction once the creatures are dealt with.”
I pause just shy of the doorway, and glance back over my shoulder. “The only way the vampires are going to be thwarted before racking up a huge body count is if I’m down there helping the guards.”
“They’re not going to let you leave right now. You know that,” Preston reminds me.
“They can try and stop me.” I rush out of his lab.
The soles of my boots grip the tile floor as I race down the hall. My pace is quickened to the point where I feel like I’m gliding through the air. I blow past the elevator, and sprint directly for the stairs. I don’t have the time to wait.
My stride widens, and I take multiple steps at once. I follow the circular staircase down to the ground floor and dash across the lobby. I need my kukri. It’s stored in one of the steel lockers, but I can’t remember which one the guard put it in when I came in earlier today.
A handful of sentries stand ready at the main entrance of the tower. I count five. Their rifles are drawn and trained at the double doors. Poised and ready, they wait for any demons to try and breach the steel barriers.
A guard spots me rushing toward them and halts me with his hand in the air. I come to an abrupt stop in front of him.
“Sorry, but the tower has been locked down. We can’t let anyone in or out.” He points in the direction I just came from. “All personnel are being asked to wait in their offices until further notice. That goes for you, as well.”
Yeah. Not going to happen.
I point toward the hefty steel door. “You know what’s out there, right?” I inquire.
He doesn’t divert his narrowed gaze from me. “We have it under control.
”
Control? I doubt that.
“Ok, here’s the deal. I know how these things move and operate. I’m better equipped to handle those bloodsucking demons. You know it, and I know it as well. So does the council. The best thing you can do, not only for yourselves, but for the people in harm’s way, is to give me my blade back, and open that door. I’ll stroll out of this building and handle those fucking bloodsuckers before they tear open every person in this city, and bleed them dry. Or worse yet, turn them into a demon that I’ll have to dispatch later anyway. That sounds like a win-win for both us and the city, right?”
He hesitates, shifting his weight between his legs, and repositions his hands over his rifle. “I wish I could, but it’s out of our hands. Rules are rules.”
A standoff at a time that we don’t need it. I understand that they’re just doing what they’ve been ordered and trained to do.
I ask one more time, keeping any hint of an attitude out of my voice. “I can help those guards out there defend Black Fields against the vampires. Not letting me through is going to cost way more lives than keeping me locked inside of this building. You’re making a grave mistake not allowing me passage out of here.”
His rifle stays taut to his chest with his finger over the trigger. “I’m sorry, but the answer is still no. Please get back to your office, now.”
I’m not looking to kill these men, just disarm enough of them, so I get out of here. I don’t want to resort to barbaric acts to get my way, but if that is what’s required, then so be it.
My head lowers, then shakes from side to side. A sigh escapes my lips. “Just remember, I asked nicely.”
I spring into action, advancing toward the guard within the blink of an eye. He stands motionless and moves in ponderous, slow motion.
My left hand grabs the barrel of the rifle as my right arm swings upward under the weapon, knocking it free of his gloved hands. Shock and disbelief flood his face. I kick him in the stomach, and send him flying backward. He collides with two other guards, sending all three crashing to the floor with a dense thud.
“What the hell!” another guard shouts out from my right.
With his rifle to his shoulder, he tries to get a bead on me. I tear across the floor, and rip the rifle from his hands just as he discharges the weapon. I feel a slight tug on my upper right arm. I look to the wound to gauge its severity. A tear in my jacket reveals a thin stream of blood. It just grazed me.
Not cool.
I flip the rifle about, and ram the end of the stock into his face. The dense plastic makes contact on the bridge of his nose. It crunches under the harsh impact. He drops to the floor unconscious as blood races out from both nostrils. The battered and beaten guards lay on the slick tile around me.
Four down.
One to go.
I drop the weapon and turn to the left.
The guard’s hands tremble slightly as the gun jitters about within his grasp. From the looks of his smooth, young skin and unsteady grip on that rifle, I’d say he’s nothing more than an inexperienced shooter. A kid even.
He gulps.
I carefully approach. The last thing I want is for him to discharge his weapon and kill me. Then again, I can see how this may look to him as well—a hostile threat engaging the city’s armed defense in a barbaric and hostile way.
“Listen, kid, I honestly didn’t want to do that, but I’ve got to get out of here. Lives are at stake. You understand, right?”
He doubles down on keeping the barrel trained on me. “You’re that woman that has been killing the vamps out in the wastelands, aren’t you?”
“I am. I’ve been working with the council on a possible vaccine that will combat the demons’ venom.” I glance in the direction of the steel barrier surrounding the door. We don’t have time for this. The longer I’m in here, the more people Mathesis and his legion of undead bloodsuckers will feed on.
“You got family out there?”
He subtly nods.
“You know what happens when a non-pureblood vampire bites you, right?”
“Yes. You turn into one of them.”
I continue moving toward him with my hands up in front of me. “That’s right. So, if they get bit, it’s game over? Do you really want that to happen to your family? I sure as shit don’t. That’s why if you let me out of here, I promise I’ll stop them.”
A hint of doubt swirls on his unsure face. He diverts his gaze toward the floor. He finally lowers his weapon.
I’m relieved. I lower my arms to my side. I really didn’t want to mess this kid up. I’m glad he made the smart call here.
“Daniels, don’t open that door. That’s an order!” the guard that confronted me barks from the flat of his back.
I lean in close to Daniels, and say, “Don’t listen to him. You’ll be fine. I promise.”
“I hope so. My mom and sister have a tent out on the streets,” he responds.
I point at the lockers that my kukri is secured in. “You mind getting my blade?”
He slings the rifle over his right shoulder and turns toward the steel lockers. He punches in the security code on the keypad and opens up the section that my blade is stored in. He hands it to me, then walks over to the steel doors.
I twirl the kukri in my hand. The leather-strapped handle feels amazing in my palm. I always feel naked without it. It’s more a part of me than anything else.
He removes a short, stocky key from his pocket and inserts its rounded end into the wall. He offers me one last look before he turns it to the right. The hefty steel plating splits apart, and both sides retract back into the wall.
I step toward the double glass doors, and pause with my free hand on the metal brace that runs along the front of each section. I turn my attention in his direction.
“As soon as I get through these doors, you seal this entrance. Understand?”
His gaze shifts to the guards sprawled out on the floor, then back to me. “Yes, ma’am.”
I push open the doors, and sprint from the tower in a dead sprint.
TWO
It’s an especially dark night. I glance up to the sky, but see nothing but a vast amount of blackness that spans for eternity. No stars are visible. The gleam from the moon is non-existent. The dense clouds hovering above Black Fields tonight has shown favor to the demon horde that has breached the city walls.
The only light that is afforded to me is from any nearby buildings and the sparse street lamps that are standing along the sidewalks. Their yellow-tinted lights only brighten a ten foot or so area before the blackness takes hold.
The further I move away from the upper side of the city, the more the light gives way to the bleakness of the night. Almost as if the lower end is expected to be draped in darkness and isn’t worthy of light.
With the absence of daylight, and word no doubt spreading like wildfire that vampires are inside the city walls, it’s not surprising that the streets I’m sprinting through are mostly void of people.
Each building I dart past, I skim over the dark nooks and deep crannies for any vile demons that might be lurking within. I spot no red eyes. The creatures generally don’t mask their presence from us mere mortals.
They do not fear the livestock they prey upon. Humans are nothing more than a food source, weak and below the godly demons—or so they think. They want nothing more than to indulge in the sweet blood of their victims. The thought of it turns my stomach.
Silence befalls my ears except for the sound of my boots hammering the concrete without pause. No, wait. There is something. I listen closer while still maintaining my brisk sprint.
Crackles of gunfire hit my ears. Although dull, they grow in intensity. I do not move or hear the way a normal man or woman would. Not since Mathesis, the vampires’ overlord and dark, demented deity, held me captive and fed on me at his whim.
He said there was something special about me that he couldn’t resist. Something contained within my blood that he couldn’t go w
ithout. Like a person addicted to drugs, I was Mathesis’s fix.
For years, I suffered at the hands, and mouth, of that fanged monster. I have the scars to prove it. Only after I managed to escape, and find the power inside of me to never let that happen again, did my world change. Since then, my mission has been of one focus—to kill the depraved bastard and his kin. To have my kukri’s sharp blade taste his flesh once more, but this time, for good.
I’m hopeful that Preston will be able to generate a viable working vaccine from my blood. The goal is that it will stop the demons’ venom of anyone that is unfortunate enough to have the creature’s fangs taste their flesh. Although, recent testing has proved to be less than successful, we’re still holding out hope that it may work. That, or I’ll just have to kill all of the vampires, and we won’t have to worry about it. I’m more than up for the challenge.
Screams invade my ears. Gunfire rings through the night air. I wonder how the guards are faring against the demons. They’ll just be pissing off the vampires by shooting them. Removing their heads is the only surefire way to dispatch them. Hopefully, they’re using the lights mounted to the weapons to keep the creatures from getting in too close.
I rounded the corner of the brick building to my left and stumble into the outward chaos. UV lights move within the darkness, bouncing all over in every direction. The panicked screams of the innocent trying to survive the horror that has invaded their lives melds with the devilish grunts of the wicked demons stalking their frantic prey.
A woman to my right races down the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street. A dark, shadowy figure sprints after her. Thin beams of light that bleed out from the building’s covered windows offer a glimpse of the creature’s bald and pasty white head.
It closes the gap between it and the woman with ease, and tackles her. She tumbles over and over on her sides. The woman screams a blood-curdling plea for help as she kicks at the demon.
“HELP! Someone, please help me!”
I answer her plea.
Crimson Thirst (The Huntress Bane Book 2) Page 1
